Farid Mehralizadeh
The International Committee to Protect Journalists (ICPJ) has called for the immediate release of economist and journalist Farid Mehralizadeh, arrested in Azerbaijan in the 'Abzas Media case', and all other unjustly imprisoned media representatives.
‘The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Azerbaijani authorities to immediately release, detained since May of this year on currency smuggling charges, Farid Mehralizadeh, an economist and journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Azerbaijani service funded by the U.S. Congress,’ the ICPJ statement reads.
On 30 October, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty issued a statement calling for the release of Mehralizadeh, whose work for the outlet was published without identifying the source for his safety,’ ICPJ notes.
‘As Azerbaijan, where at least 15 journalists face potentially lengthy prison sentences, prepares to host the UN climate change conference COP29, Mehralizadeh's case demonstrates once again how ridiculously vulnerable those who hold critical views can be to ongoing repression in this country,’ said Gulnoza Said, iCPJ's Europe and Central Asia programme coordinator. ‘The Azerbaijani government should face international censure if it does not release Mehralizadeh and all other unjustly imprisoned journalists before COP29,’ she added.
On 30 May, plainclothes law enforcement officers seized Mehralizadeh on the streets of the capital Baku, placing a bag over his head and forcing him into a car. The enforcers also confiscated his computer, mobile phones and car from his home, CPJ recalls.
On 1 June, a court in Baku remanded Mehralizadeh in custody as part of a currency smuggling case against the anti-corruption investigative publication Abzas Media, whose six journalists remain in prison awaiting trial. Both Abzas Media and Mehralizadeh denied that he worked for the publication.
Mehralizadeh covered economic topics for 'Radio Azadliq', a radio station blocked in Azerbaijan and operating out of exile since 2014. His wife, Nargiz Mukhtarova, told ICPJ that she believes he was detained for his journalistic activities and interviews with independent media outlets in which he criticised government policies.
In August, the authorities filed seven new economic offence charges against Mehralizadeh and the 'Abzas Media' journalists, which could result in up to 12 years of imprisonment.
They are among 14 Azerbaijani journalists accused of allegedly receiving Western donor funding in the year leading up to Azerbaijan's COP29, amid deteriorating relations between Azerbaijan and the West. Two of the journalists were released on bail pending trial, while columnist Bahruz Samedov remains in pre-trial detention on treason charges, ICPJ said in a statement.
Politics
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Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who arrived in Baku today, held a press conference at the COP29 climate conference. When asked about the arrested climate activists and opposition figures in Azerbaijan, she stated that Germany advocates for the release of government critics and that she would raise this issue during her meeting with Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister. She specifically mentioned the name of Professor Gubad Ibadoglu, a doctor from Dresden University.
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On November 21, climate activists held a series of protests at the COP29 climate conference in Baku. The main themes of the protests included nuclear weapons testing, animal killings, protection of rivers and water bodies, and environmental pollution.
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The General Assembly of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (EaP CSF) adopted a resolution on Friday reaffirming its commitment to democratic reforms, regional stability, and European integration amidst escalating geopolitical tensions driven by Russia's ongoing aggression in Ukraine.
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Activist Nijat Ibrahim, who was detained in Baku pre-trial detention center-1, inflicted numerous wounds on himself on November 20 in protest against unjustified criminal prosecution, his wife Parvin Ibrahim told Turan. According to her, on November 21, her husband called her and informed her that the day before he had inflicted incised wounds on himself with a piece of mirror. In particular, he cut his throat and ears.
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